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The Next Big Thing

Every day there seem to be new promotional ideas for authors. Some aren’t worth the time, effort and money involved. One opportunity, however, recently tapped me on the shoulder, and I felt it was too good to ignore. Robin Spano, author of the Clare Vengel Undercover Novels, asked if she could tag me in The Next Big Thing. I agreed. A reciprocal tag then occurred with writer and artist Uvi Poznansky, http://uviart.blogspot.ca/.

Here’s how it works: It’s kind of like a chain letter with interview questions. Once you have been tagged by an author, you find five other authors who agree to be tagged by you. Then you write a blog entry in which you answer the questions about your next book and give links to the sites of the people you tagged. It’s that simple.

This is my first opportunity to talk about my new novel, so it should be fun. I wish I had a cover design to show you, but it’s not yet available.

Questions & Answers:

1. What is the working title of your book?

I’m now on my third working title, Yellow Vengeance. Only time will tell if it sticks.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Since the novel is part of a series, the main characters are continuing along with their personal lives, based on what was introduced in previous books. As far as the mystery goes, I’ve always had an interest in the past and in cold cases, and this seemed to be the time to explore those areas in a novel.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It is technically a mystery, but as always, I hope it goes beyond the solving of the crime to examine particular aspects of the society in which it is set as well as the human condition in more general terms.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

For me, this is the hardest question. I have always been able to visualize my characters, but they have ever been based on particular actors or people I know. I actually had to do research for this – kind of a virtual casting call. In the end, I managed to narrow it down to a couple of possibilities for each. I’m still not totally happy with my Calli options; that’s why I’ve included three names. The casting of June was by far the easiest, and I would be happy with either actor.

Calli: Chloe Sivegny, Jodie Foster, Keeley Hawes

Jess: Michelle Krusiec, Sandrine Holt

Dewey: Darryl Stephens, Jeffrey D. Sams

June: Jessica Capshaw, Amy Carlson

Sashi: Sarita Choudhury, Veena Sood

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When someone steps out of Calli’s past and hires her to solve a cold case that even the police have abandoned, it leads to personal tragedy, just at the moment her life seems to be coming together.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

I wrote the first draft on a part-time basis over about six months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

As far as the ‘story’ goes, I’m not aware of other books to which I could compare it. Looking at the book as a whole, one could, of course, draw comparisons to the first two novels in the series: Red Rover and Oranges and Lemons. Aside from those, one might find similarities to some of the novels of writers like Ellen Hart, Sara Paretsky or Sandra Scoppettone. I do try, however, to achieve something a little different from other books in the genre through my treatment of current issues, character development and tone.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The most important inspiration, if you can call it that, was my commitment to write a third novel in the Calli Barnow Series. Other than that, I wanted to explore areas of life to which I have a personal connection on some level. I won’t go into detail, because I don’t want to give away too much.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If you like a mystery story narrated by a very human character, incorporating comedy, danger and personal tragedy, you will probably enjoy Yellow Vengeance.

That’s all I have to say about my upcoming novel, but if you’d like to find out about other future releases, please visit these great writers and see what they have for you:

Glynis Smy Glynis is the author of the historical romance, Ripper My Love,and writes for newspapers in Cyprus and the U.K. She also runs the wonderful New Book Blogger website.

Catherine Astolfo Catherine is the author of the Emily Taylor Series of mystery novels. In 2012 she won the Arthur Ellis Best Crime Short Story and the Derrick Murdoch Award for outstanding contribution to Crime Writers of Canada.

Suzanne Sutherland Suzanne’s short fiction has appeared in magazines such as Descant, Dragnet and Steel Bananas. Her first novel, When We Were Good, will be published by Sumach Press in 2013.

Bev Prescott Bev is an environmental attorney, previously enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Her debut novel, My Soldier Too, was published by Blue Feather Books in 2011.

Uvi Poznansky Besides being an accomplished architect, Uvi is an artist and a writer with a diverse body of work. Her most recent publication, Home, is a tribute to her father and cannot be adequately described in this limited space.

Message for tagged authors: Rules of the Next Big Thing

***Use this format for your post

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)

***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?

Where did the idea come from for the book?

What genre does your book fall under?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.